Essential survival

The survival order

Address immediate danger, breathing and severe bleeding, shelter and temperature, water, sanitation, food, communication, and rest. Reassess as conditions change.

• Protect from heat, cold, wind, rain, smoke, and contaminated environments.
• Use known-safe water first and treat uncertain water with a method appropriate to the contaminant and local guidance.
• Separate human waste from living, cooking, and water areas.
• Ration by recording actual use rather than guessing; include children, illness, heat, and exertion.

Make supplies findable

Store critical items together, label them, keep a small mobile kit, and rotate consumables. Include light, batteries, first aid, medications, hygiene, tools, cash, documents, food, water containers, and a way to receive information.

Separate drinking water from utility water

Store drinking water in sanitized food-grade containers, labeled with the fill date. Plan at least one US gallon (about 3.8 litres) per person per day for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene, with extra for heat, illness, pregnancy, and pets. Store at least three days and, if possible, two weeks.

• Keep water of uncertain quality separately labeled as non-drinking water. An ordinary bathtub is not a drinking-water storage container; prevent children from accessing standing water.
• Use utility water only for tasks allowed by current advisories. Do not assume it is suitable for food-contact surfaces or personal washing.
• Distinguish boil-water, do-not-drink, and do-not-use notices. Boiling does not remove harmful chemicals or toxins. Follow the notice even if water looks clear or pressure returns.
• Measure use to catch shortages early. Obtain safe replacement water or assistance before running out; conservation must not compromise hydration or essential hygiene.

Make food decisions by time and temperature

Keep appliance thermometers in the refrigerator and freezer, minimize door opening, and record outages. Normal smell or coolness to the touch does not prove food is safe. Never taste food to test it.

• With doors closed, a refrigerator generally protects food for up to four hours without power; a full freezer about 48 hours and a half-full freezer about 24 hours.
• Discard refrigerated perishables after four hours without power or another cold source. A cooler with ice must keep food at 40°F (4°C) or below.
• Frozen food may be refrozen or cooked if it still contains ice crystals or is at 40°F (4°C) or below. If safe storage cannot be established, discard it.
• Repeated outages require attention to temperature history; brief power restoration does not automatically reset food safety. Cooking questionable food is not a rescue method.
• Keep meals that need no cooking, refrigeration, or added water. Cook manageable portions of still-safe food; batch cooking creates leftovers that also need safe storage.

Keep sanitation manageable

If collection stops, reduce packaging and keep food waste contained away from living and food-preparation areas. Keep exits clear and follow local collection and disposal instructions.

• Check waste, water, food, and battery needs on the same short checklist. Put light, shoes, keys, and essential documents in consistent places so fatigue does not turn a routine task into a search.
• Do not move cooking fires or outdoor-only fuel appliances indoors to save effort. Use the Fire safety and Solar storms and prolonged outages guides for combustion and backup-power limits.

Preserve capacity

Sleep in shifts, eat before exhaustion, keep tools maintained, and make decisions in pairs when tired. Survival is a team process, not a test of individual toughness.